The short answer. The work around Xcode splits into four jobs. Inspecting an app on a device is Woodpecker: sandbox files, user defaults and keychain items, without a debugger. Reading a crash is MacSymbolicator or SYM, which turn addresses into a stack trace. Moving code is Swiftify for Objective-C to Swift, and Testpiler for XCTest to Swift Testing. Managing the toolchain itself is Xcodes for multiple Xcode versions and XCSnippetsApp for the snippet library. Itsyconnect and PushMate cover the store and notification side, SwiftPlantUML draws the class diagram from the code, PPRows counts what you wrote, and the compatibility checker tells you whether an app will run on a modern Mac. The dividing question is which of those four jobs you actually have, because each one is a small tool that saves an hour and none of them overlap.
This guide covers 11 ios development tools for macOS. Every fact below is drawn from the same verified records that back each app’s own page. The recommendations are our editorial judgment, not payment.
Quick comparison
| App | What it is | Pricing | Licence | Version |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Itsyconnect | developer tool | Open source | MIT | 1.14.1 |
| MacSymbolicator | developer tool | Open source | GPL-2.0 | 2.6 |
| PPRows | developer tool | Open source | GPL-3.0 | 1.2.1 |
| PushMate | developer tool | not published | not published | — |
| Swiftify | developer tool | not published | not published | — |
| SwiftPlantUML | developer tool | Open source | MIT | 1.6.0 |
| SYM | developer tool | Open source | MIT | 0.8.8 |
| Testpiler | developer tool | not published | not published | 1.2 |
| Woodpecker | developer tool | not published | not published | — |
| XCSnippetsApp | developer tool | Free | MIT | 1.0.0 |
| Xcodes | developer tool | Open source | MIT | 4.1.1b41 |
What actually decides this
- Which job it is. Inspecting a running app, reading a crash, converting code and managing the toolchain are four separate problems. Buying a tool for one and hoping it covers another is how people end up with three utilities that each do a fifth of the work.
- Whether it needs a debug build. Some inspection tools require the app to be built with a debug entitlement. On a release build from the store, the same tool sees nothing. This is the first thing to check before planning a workflow around one.
- What the conversion is worth. An automated Objective-C to Swift conversion produces compilable code with the same structure, which is not the same as idiomatic Swift. The tool saves the typing, not the review, and the review is the expensive part.
- Whether it works with several Xcode versions. A machine that ships to two OS versions needs two toolchains. Anything that assumes one Xcode path will break at the worst moment, which is usually the week before submission.
- What the output looks like. A diagram, a report, a converted file and a symbolicated log are four outputs for four audiences. A tool whose output nobody reads is a tool that will not be run twice.
Our picks
- Woodpecker — Its record describes viewing an iOS app’s sandbox files, user defaults and keychain items on a Mac, which is the inspection case. Choose it when you need to see an app’s sandbox, defaults or keychain on a device.
- MacSymbolicator — Its record describes symbolicating macOS and iOS crash reports, which is the crash case. Choose it when you have a crash report to read.
- Swiftify — Its record describes an Objective-C to Swift converter with Xcode and Finder extensions, which is the conversion case. Choose it when you are moving Objective-C code to Swift.
- Xcodes — Its record describes installing and switching between multiple Xcode versions, which is the toolchain case. Choose it when you need more than one Xcode installed.
- SwiftPlantUML — Its record describes generating and viewing class diagrams from Xcode for Swift code, which is the diagram case. Choose it when you want a class diagram from the code.
- Itsyconnect — Its record describes an App Store Connect client covering metadata, TestFlight, reviews and analytics, which is the store case. Choose it when the job is metadata, TestFlight or reviews.
The apps
Itsyconnect
Itsyconnect is a developer tool for macOS. App Store Connect client for metadata, TestFlight, reviews, analytics, and localization. It is released under MIT.
What it does. Better App Store Connect.
Itsyconnect is listed with current version 1.14.1.
Full profile and verified facts for Itsyconnect →
MacSymbolicator
MacSymbolicator is a developer tool for macOS. Symbolicating macOS/iOS crash reports, easily. It is released under GPL-2.0.
What it does. Symbolicating macOS/iOS crash reports, easily.
MacSymbolicator is listed with current version 2.6.
Full profile and verified facts for MacSymbolicator →
PPRows
PPRows is a developer tool for macOS. Application to calculate how many lines of code you write. It is released under GPL-3.0.
PPRows is listed with current version 1.2.1.
Full profile and verified facts for PPRows →
PushMate
PushMate is a developer tool for macOS. Solves common push notification problems on macOS. Its pricing is not published.
What it does. Discover PushMate, the Mac APNS editor for iOS developers. Edit and error check your Apple Push Notification Service notifications.
Full profile and verified facts for PushMate →
Swiftify
Swiftify is a developer tool for macOS. Objective-C to Swift code converter and Xcode & Finder extensions. Its pricing is not published.
What it does. World’s #1 Objective-C to Swift Converter. Enterprise solution - Offline Converter.
Full profile and verified facts for Swiftify →
SwiftPlantUML
SwiftPlantUML is a developer tool for macOS. Generate and view class diagrams from Xcode for Swift code. It is released under MIT.
What it does. Xcode Extension for generating class diagrams from Swift code (powered by PlantUML).
SwiftPlantUML is listed with current version 1.6.0.
Full profile and verified facts for SwiftPlantUML →
SYM
SYM is a developer tool for macOS. GUI Application to symbolicate iOS crash log. It is released under MIT.
SYM is listed with current version 0.8.8.
Full profile and verified facts for SYM →
Testpiler
Testpiler is a developer tool for macOS. Tool for converting XCTest test suites to Swift Testing. Its pricing is not published.
What it does. Testpiler is an app that allows you to easily convert unit tests written in Swift from XCTest to the new Swift Testing framework.
Testpiler is listed with current version 1.2.
Full profile and verified facts for Testpiler →
Woodpecker
Woodpecker is a developer tool for macOS. View iOS app’s Sandbox files, UserDefaults, Keychain items on a Mac. Its pricing is not published.
Full profile and verified facts for Woodpecker →
XCSnippetsApp
XCSnippetsApp is a developer tool for macOS. Explore, view, and edit Swift and iOS code snippets for Xcode. It is released under MIT. It is free.
What it does. macOS application to explore code snippets from the Swift and iOS community, view and edit the snippets before adding them conveniently to Xcode.
XCSnippetsApp is listed with current version 1.0.0.
Full profile and verified facts for XCSnippetsApp →
Xcodes
Xcodes is a developer tool for macOS. Install and switch between multiple versions of Xcode. It is released under MIT.
What it does. List all available Xcode versions from Xcode Releases’ data or the Apple Developer website. Install any Xcode version, fully automated from start to finish. Xcodes uses aria2, which uses up to 16 connections to download 3-5x faster than URLSession. Automatically resumes installs if network errors. Apple ID required to download Xcode versions.
Xcodes is listed with current version 4.1.1b41.
Full profile and verified facts for Xcodes →
How to choose
- Free of charge. XCSnippetsApp — no payment is required.
- No licence fee, source available. Itsyconnect, MacSymbolicator, PPRows, SwiftPlantUML, SYM and Xcodes — the source can be read and, under the terms of each licence, reused.
- Pricing not published in our data. PushMate, Swiftify, Testpiler and Woodpecker — check the developer’s own site before assuming anything about cost.
Open source: Itsyconnect, MacSymbolicator, PPRows, SwiftPlantUML, SYM and Xcodes (6 of 11).
Common mistakes
- Planning an inspection workflow around a release build that has no debug entitlement.
- Accepting a converted file without reviewing it, then wondering why the structure feels foreign.
- Having one Xcode installed on a machine that supports two OS versions.
- Generating a class diagram nobody asked for and calling it documentation.
How this guide was put together
Each app’s facts come from its own record: the developer’s own pages and repository, the App Store listing where one exists, and the documentation, each with a source grade and an access date. Where a fact rests on the developer’s own statement rather than on something we verified independently, the sentence says so. Where our data has no value for something, the guide says “not published” instead of guessing.
A price appears here only where the record carries one from a stated source; the guide never estimates one, and it records the pricing model alongside so the two can be read together. Prices change and vary by region, so each app links to its own page for the current detail.
The facts and the recommendations are kept apart on purpose. Everything in the app entries, the comparison table and the answers above is composed from the records. The short answer, the criteria and the picks are our editorial judgment: they reflect what we would choose and why, and they are not paid for. Where we make a recommendation we name the condition it applies under, because we do not call anything “the best” without explaining the criteria.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I choose between these ios development tools?
There is no single answer — it depends on what you need. This guide covers 11 ios development tools: Itsyconnect, MacSymbolicator, PPRows, PushMate, Swiftify, SwiftPlantUML, SYM, Testpiler, Woodpecker, XCSnippetsApp and Xcodes. They differ mainly in pricing model, licence and the trade-offs each one carries. Pick by the trade-off you care about rather than by rank.
Are these ios development tools free?
Pricing across this group: open source (Itsyconnect, MacSymbolicator, PPRows, SwiftPlantUML, SYM and Xcodes), not published (PushMate, Swiftify, Testpiler and Woodpecker) and free (XCSnippetsApp). Where we list pricing as not published, the developer does not state a model we could verify — check their own site before assuming anything about cost. We quote a price only where the record carries one from a stated source, and we never estimate one. Prices change and vary by region and by store, so always check the developer’s own page for the current figure.
Which of these ios development tools are open source?
Itsyconnect (MIT), MacSymbolicator (GPL-2.0), PPRows (GPL-3.0), SwiftPlantUML (MIT), SYM (MIT) and Xcodes (MIT) are open source.
Do these ios development tools support Apple Silicon?
Our data does not carry an explicit Apple Silicon statement for any app in this group, so we do not claim one. The absence of a statement is not the same as the absence of support.
How do I choose between them?
Start with how you pay: the guide groups these apps by pricing model, because the budget is the constraint most people actually have. Then check the trade-offs listed for each app: the limitations are the part that decides most people’s choice, because they describe what the app will not do for you.
